2 BOCNEWS.com FEBRUARY 2019 Well... Let’s jump right in. this series is developing into a project that is providing so much fun. This year, I am revisiting scripture with a completely new set of eyes. Perhaps I am viewing it with the same old eyes but with the rose-colored glasses removed. While the Bible has been a source of information for me for forty years, seeing friends, family, neigh- bors, and even enemies in the Biblical stories brings new life to the experi- ence. In this column, I am excited to share what is often called the Fall of Humankind. This perspective regard- ing what happened in the Garden of Eden, in my opinion, is depressing. I am so grateful to remember the recon- ciliation power of Christ as manifested through Jesus. Back to the Garden of Eden. We all know the story of the Eve being tempt- ed by the adversary to go against what God commanded which was to eat from the tree of life and to avoid the fruit from the tree of the knowledge of Good and Evil. There was also a consequence associated with disobe- dience, which was that we would be disconnected from our source, the Christ, the Power of God. We also recall the fact that Eve had a conversation with the Adversary and made the decision to do the exact thing Her source, God, said not to do. We also know that the male part of Adam joined her in this act. Then God does what God did every day at the cool of the evening. God came to the Garden to commune with humankind. God did not change God’s routine; however, the male and female part of Adam did. They hid from God because they did not sense a connection with God. This is exactly what God said would happen and it did. When God asks about what they have done, the blame game begins. The male blames the female and the female blames the adversary. By blam- ing the other, the woman subjugated herself to the Adversary and the man subjugated himself to the woman. We are taught that this is where the trouble of the world began. This began the struggle of the human race in an attempt to reconnect with God. We simply did not know how. Then came Jesus, our Model of Salvation, who demonstrated how to reconcile with and dwell in God. How many of us experience what the male and female part of Adam experienced. I would venture to say all of us. There are some things we do that are blatantly seen as inappropri- ate and evidence that we are indulging the Fruit of the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil. There are actions that we may not realize are just as outside of the will of God….things like judging the appropriateness of any individual….deciding who is quali- fied to enter heaven and who is not…. deciding who is in the will of God and who is not….and the list goes on and on and on and on. We do not real- ize that the issue is our filthy habit of judging people. When we do, we become disconnected from the Christ in us and anxiety sets in. Test my words…check your anxi- ety barometer whenever you think judgmental thoughts, speak judgmen- tal words, and/or act in judgmental ways. I know our stress level increas- es and not in a good way. The beauty is found in the fact that when we step to the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil and engage in thought process that are against the rules of Christ, we are in Good C Well, this is it. As promised, we will begin a venture through the Bible in a nontraditional way. Some may see it as controversial. Others may see it as blasphemous. While I have no control over the former, I can guarantee you that the latter is simply not possible. Perhaps you are wondering why I am making such a big deal regarding this series. Last month’s column shared what is to be featured. I am going to identify many characters throughout the Old and the New Testament from a mental health perspective. I am able to share insights as an ordained minister and a licensed mental health professional with advanced degrees in each of these two areas. With one foot in the religious camp and the other in the mental health camp, I view all of God’s children… all of us as human, with human frail- ties and human victories. As we move through life, we are challenged over and over and over again. Our respons- es to challenges, as well as our gen- I Just Could Not Help Myself HEALTH By Rev. Marjorie B. Lewis, Ph.D., D. Min. Remember the first command that was given to the male and female of Adam, found in Genesis 1:28 to be fruitful and multiply. Continued on Page 5